Out This Week 7/27

While you’re putting together your mid-summer soundtrack, you might want to consider a selection of the releases hitting store shelves this week. Sure, it’s now the calm before the storm that is next Tuesday’s release of the next Arcade Fire album, but that shouldn’t keep you from going to a record store today to pick up what many consider to be the best album yet from Portland’s Menomena, who will be LIVE ON KEXP tomorrow at noon to celebrate the album’s release.

Best Coast are always good for sunny, summery songs good for those hot days on the beach, and Cut Chemist‘s pan-African samples on his latest album are blazin’. Miami Beach electronic duo Afrobeta will get you dancing through the night with their electroclash meets Super Mario Bros. sound. More hot tunes can be found on the new albums by Jesca Hoop, psych-pop combo Jaill, the twangy Futurebirds, and a reinvented Tom Jones, whose latest is a set of stripped-down, blues/gospel covers (ladies, throwing panties on this tour would be very inappropriate). Then cool down with the breezy sounds of Seu Jorge and Almaz and the downright icy new album from Young Galaxy. There’re plenty more scorchers to be found on Largehearted Boy’s list. Check out these samples below and head over to your favorite record store:

Afrobeta – Two Different Worlds (MP3)
from Do You Party on Do IT Entertainment

One Comment

I’m listening to the ‘Strange Things’ track by Tom Jones as I write this comment.

What a brilliant album from the best male voice ever! It’s a treat to hear some quality music that has been recorded more or less ‘as it comes’ without excessive compression or multi-tracking. But let’s face it, TJ doesn’t need much help to belt out these soulful numbers.